Method and apparatus for marking the points of application for buttons and buttonholes



Oct. 16, 1962 K. MAlER ETAL 3,058,228

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MARKING THE POINTS OF APPLICATION FOR BUTTONS AND BUTTONHOLES Filed Oct. 12, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 KARL MAIL-E ERW/A/ MAIL K A WOFNEKS United States Patent [VIETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MARKING THE POINTS OF APPLFCATION FOR BUTTONS AND BUTTONHOLES Kari Maier, Taiifingen-Truchtelfingen, Wurttemberg, and

Erwin Maier, Wendlingen (Neckar), Wurttemberg, Germany, assignors to Wiihelm Maier & Sohne QHJG Wurttemberg, Germany Filed Oct. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 845,763 Claims priority, application Germany Oct. 16, 1958 12 Claims. (Cl. 33-490) The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for marking garments or other cloth articles at the points on two different parts of the article on which buttons and buttonholes are to be applied.

Prior to this invention the marking of buttonhole positions has been done either by hand or by a stencil and with a piece of chalk, crayon, or the like. Such a method of marking not only consumes considerable time, but it is also very inaccurate, particularly when applied to elastic materials which, when ironed, become distorted so that it often occurs that the respective buttons and buttonholes when subsequently applied no longer coincide with each other.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for marking the points on garments or other cloth articles on which buttons and buttonholes are to be applied in corresponding positions on two different parts, and for marking the necessary number of these points simultaneously and in one operation on the garment or other cloth article by impressing or ironing the markings upon the two parts of the article which are to be buttoned together.

The present invention has the advantage over the methods previously employed that the marking points will be placed very accurately and that a subsequent shifting of the relative positions of the markings due to a distortion of the article caused by ironing will not occur. The markings after being impressed or ironed upon the article remain clearly visible and are not easi y rubbed off as those applied with chalk or crayon were, so that the buttons and buttonholes can thereafter be easily sewed in the proper coinciding positions. Furthermore, the new method has the advantage that the material and its appearance will not be harmed by the markings in any manner.

A further object of the present invention consists in providing an apparatus for applying the corresponding markings for buttons and buttonholes on a garment or other cloth article and for simultaneously ironing the edge portions of the article adjacent to the buttons and buttonholes.

A very important further advantage attained by the method and apparatus according to the invention also consists in the considerable amount of time which is thereby saved, particularly in a mass production of the respective articles.

The apparatus according to the invention preferably consists of a lower heating plate which is mounted in a stationary position, an upper heating plate which is adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly relative to the lower plate, and sheet metal ironing plates which are slipped over both heating plates and are provided with marking elements in opposite positions to each other. When the upper heating plate is pressed upon the lower heating plate, the two pieces of material to be provided with buttons and buttonholes which are placed between the heating plates are accurately marked at the desired points, and simultaneously the edge portions of the article adjacent to the markings are ironed. In order to insure that the markings for the buttons and 3,55,228 Patented Got. 16, I 962 buttonholes will always be applied uniformly on every garment or other cloth article of a series it is furthermore advisable to provide the lower ironing plate with suitable stops or marking lines or to provide one or both ends of the lower ironing plate with holding pinS which are adapted to pierce through the piece of material to be marked to arrest the same in a fixed position.

A further object of the present invention consists in providing an apparatus of the type as described in which the distances between the marking elements are adjustable relative to each other in one row. For this purpose the invention provides the lower marking elements on an extendable device in the form of a plurality of interconnected scissorlike arms, and preferably at the points of intersection of these "arms, and the lower ironing plate is preferably provided with a guide slot in which the marking elements are slidable when being adjusted. One end of this scissorlike device is adapted to be clamped in a fixed position, while the other end is connected to a control rod by which the desired distance between the individual marking elements may be adjusted. The upper ironing plate is then preferably provided with a continuous marking groove or such a groove may be provided with individual marking nipples which are adjustable therein.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will also appear from the following detailed description thereof, particularly when the same is read with reference to the accompanying diagrammatical drawings, in which FIGURE 1 shows a front view of the two heating plates of the apparatus according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a central cross section of the two heating plates according to FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows a plan view of a modification of the lower heating plate;

FIGURE 4 shows a central cross section of the heating plate according to FIGURE 3 as well as of the upper heating plate;

FIGURE 5 shows a partial longitudinal section of the heating plate according to FIGURE 3 and of the upper heating plate;

FIGURE 6 shows a cross section of a modification of the upper heating plate; while FIGURE 7 shows a partial bottom view of the upper heating plate according to FIGURE 6.

Referring to the drawings, and first particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2, the apparatus according to the invention consists of a stationary lower heating plate 2 which may be secured, for example, on a frame or base 1. Above and parallel to the lower heating plate 2 is an upper heating plate 3 which is mounted on an arm 4 of a lever press, not shown, which may be of any suitable conventional construction and operated either by hand or by foot or driven by an electric motor or hydraulic means. The two heating plates 2 and 3 are also heated by conventional means, for example, electrically.

The two heating plates 2 and 3 are covered with sheetmetal ironing plates 5 and 6, respectively, which are preferably slipped over the heating plates from the front side thereof. These two ironing plates 5 and 6 are provided at directly opposite positions with marking elements 7 and 8, respectively, which may be of any suitable construction, largely depending upon the type of material to be marked and consisting,'for example, of small projecting pins, knobs, or the like which may also be mounted only on one ironing plate and disposed opposite to grooves or recesses in the other ironing plate.

When the upper heating plate 3 is depressed, marking elements 7 and 8, or at least those projecting from one of the plates, are pressed into the two interposed cloth parts 21, shown in dot-and-dash lines, so that the points where the buttons and buttonholes are to be subsequently applied will be marked at the same time. If the individual pairs of buttons and buttonholes are to be applied at other distances from each other, it is merely necessary to exchange the two ironing plates and 6 for others with differently spaced marking elements 7 and 8.

When the upper heating plate 3 is depressed, not only the markings for the buttons and buttonholes are pressed into the material but the two cloth parts 21 which are interposed between the ironing plates 5 and 6 are smoothly ironed so that, for example, the edge portions of the cloth layers 21 adjacent to the markings will be finally ironed.

In order to insure that each individual garment, linen article, or the like of the same series will always be marked at the same points, it is advisable to provide one or both ends of the lower ironing plate 5 with locating or arresting pins 9 which pierce through the cloth parts 21 laterally outside of ironing plate 6 and retain them in a fixed position. It is, however, also possible to mount the arresting pins 9 Within the range of the upper ironing plate 6, in which case the arresting pins 9 are adapted to enter into corresponding bores 10 in the upper plate 6. The arresting pins 9 may then also be used as marking elements. If desired, these arresting pins may also be replaced by stops or edge-marking lines which are provided on the lower ironing plate 5.

In the modified apparatus as illustrated in FIGURES 3 to 5, the distances between the individual marking elements 7 and 8 are adjustable relative to each other. According to the invention, this may be done, for example, by means of an extendable device 12 which is movable within a recess in heating plate 2 underneath ironing plate 5 and consists of a plurality of interconnected scissorlike arms which are provided, preferably at the points where they intersect with each other, with the lower marking elements 7 which are slidably guided within a guide slot 11 in the lower ironing plate 5. The lower ironing plate 5 therefore covers the lower heating plate 2 including the scissorlike device 12, and its front end may be extended to serve a a hand protection. The front end of the scissorlike device 12 is provided with a control rod 14 which is preferably removable and serves to extend or contract the device 12. The distances between the individual marking elements 7 may thus be quickly, accurately, and uniformly changed in accordance with any desired rate. After being adjusted, the scissorlike device 12 is clamped in a fixed position by a setscrew 13 which is disposed at the end of the device opposite to the control rod 14 and mounted in the lower heating plate 2. This end of the scissorlike device 12 also carries an arresting pin 9.

In place of marking elements 8, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the upper ironing plate 6 of the embodiment of the invention according to FIGURES 3 to 5 is provided with a continuous marking'groove 16. When the cloth parts 21 are then placed between the two ironing plates 5 and 6 and the upper heating plate 3 is depressed, the lower marking elements will bulge the material into the marking groove 16 in the upper ironing plate 6 so that, when the two cloth parts are then compressed and ironed by ironing plates 5 and 6, accurately coinciding marks will be formed thereon. The upper, heating plate 3 may also be provided with a guard plate to protect the fingers of the operator.

If very accurately defined marks are also desired at the upper side of cloth parts 21, it is possible to provide the upper ironing plate 6 with a continuous dove-tailed slot 17, as shown in FIGURES 6'and 7, in which a plu rality of marking nipples 18 are slidably mounted so as to be adjusted at any desired distances from each other. For adjusting the nipples 18 in slot 17 prior to the insertion of the cloth parts 21, between ironing plates 5 and 6, it is merely necessary to lower the upper heating plate 3 suiiiciently toward the lower heating plate 2 and then to shift the marking nipples 18 by means of a simple tool so that they will be disposed exactly over the corresponding lower marking elements 7 on the scissorlike device 12. If the upper heating plate 3 is then lightly depressed, the marking nipples 18 will center themselves accurately relative to the marking elements 7 and may thereafter be secured in a fixed position by tightening the upper ironing plate 6 by means of wingnuts on clamping bolts 20. Although the marking nipples are preferably made of a conical shape for reasons of an easier manufacture, they may, of course, also be of a rectangular shape with tapered guide surfaces which are adapted to slide in the dove-tailed slot 17.

Although our invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, we wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed our invention, what we claim is:

1. An apparatus for marking the points on garments or other cloth articles where a. plurality of buttons and buttonholes are to be applied in coinciding positions on two different parts of the garment, comprising a lower stationary heating plate, an upper heating plate, means for moving said upper heating plate upwardly and downwardly relative to said lower heating plate, said two different parts of the garment resting upon said lower heating plate in superimposed relationship, an ironing plate mounted on each of said heating plates, means for applying heat from said upper and lower heating plates for marking simultaneously both of said superimposed garment parts comprising a groove arranged in each of said ironing plates, said grooves being arranged directly one above the other, a plurality of marking element on at least one of said ironing plates arranged in the groove therein, means for adjusting the position of said elements in said groove, and marking means on the other ironing plate, the corresponding marking means on said ironing plates being adapted when said upper ironing plate is depressed to form marks at exactly corresponding positions on said two superimposed parts of material.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for adjusting the positions of said individual marking elements includes an extendable element composed of a plurality of interconnected scissor-like arms, the individual marking elements being disposed at and passing through the points of intersection of said arms, said one ironing plate having a slot therein, said marking elements being slidably guided within said slot.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, in which said ironing plates with said marking elements thereon are removably secured to said heating plates.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim I, further comprising arresting pins on said lower ironing plate, said upper ironing plate having recesses therein adapted to receive said arresting pins when the same are pierced through the superimposed cloth parts to be marked.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 4, in which said arresting pins also serve as marking elements.

6. An apparatus for marking the points on garments or other cloth articles where a plurality of buttons and buttonholes are to be applied in coinciding positions on tWo different parts of the garment, comprising a lower stationary heating plate, an upper heating plate, means for moving said upper heating plate upwardly and downwardly relative to said lower heating plate, said two different parts of the garment resting upon said lower heating plate in superimposed relationship, an ironing plate mounted on each of said heating plates, a plurality of marking elements on each of said ironing plates, said marking elements on said lower ironing plate comprise a plurality of knobs, said upper ironing plate having a continuous dovetailed slot therein, said marking elements on said upper ironing plate comprising a plurality of tapered nipples slidably mounted in said dovetailed slot so as to be adjustable to diflterent positions relative to each other, and means for tightening said upper ironing plate against said upper heating plate for clamping said nipples in a fixed position, the corresponding marking elements being adapted when said upper ironing plate is depressed upon said two superimposed parts of material to form marks at exactly corresponding positions thereon.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6, in which said marking elements on each ironing plate are disposed within one row, and further comprising means for adjusting the distances between the individual lower marking elements.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, in which said adjusting means comprise an extendable element composed of a plurality of interconnected scissorlike arms, the lower marking elements being disposed at and passing through the points of intersection of said arms, said lower ironing plate having a slot therein,-said lower mark ing elements being slidably guided within said slot.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, further comprising a control rod at one end of said extendable element for adjusting said element, and means at the other end of said extendable element for clamping the same in a fixed adjusted position.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, further comprising an arresting pin at the end of said extendable element containing said clamping means.

11. An apparatus for marking the points on garments or other cloth articles where a plurality of buttons and buttonholes are to be applied in coinciding positions on two difierent parts of the garment, comprising a stationary lower heating plate, an upper heating plate, means for moving said upper heating plate upwardly and downwardly relative to said lower heating plate, said two different parts of the garment resting upon said lower heating plate in superimposed relationship, an ironing plate mounted on each of said heating plates, marking means including a plurality of marking elements arranged on the lower ironing plate and comprising a plurality of knobs, and marking means on the upper ironing plate comprising a continuous marking groove therein directly opposite to the marking elements on said lower ironing plate, the corresponding marking means being adapted when said upper ironing plate is depressed upon said two superimposed parts of material to form marks at exactly corresponding positions therein.

12. An apparatus for marking the points on garments or other cloth articles where a plurality of buttons and buttonholes are to be applied in coinciding positions on two different parts of the garment, comprising a lower stationary heating plate, an upper heating plate, means for moving said upper heating plate upwardly and downwardly relative to said lower heating plate, said two different parts of the garment resting upon said lower heating plate in superimposed relationship, an ironing plate mounted on each of said heating plates, marking means including a plurality of marking elements arranged on both said ironing plates, said marking elements on the lower ironing plates comprising a plurality of knobs, a continuous dovetailed slot in said upper ironing plate, said marking elements on said upper ironing plate comprising a plurality of tapered nipples slidably mounted in said dovetailed slot so as to be adjustable to different positions relative to each other, and means for tightening said upper ironing plate against said upper heating plate for clamping said nipples in a fixed position.

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